BORO’S Reserves went double Dutch last night as a Marvin Emnes brace sealed a 4-1 romp over Grimsby Town at the Riverside.

The Dutchman struck twice in the second half to push his first team claims ahead of Saturday’s game at Peterborough and sink a young Mariners side.

Youngster Bruno Pilatos and Andrew Taylor also got on the scoresheet as Boro’s second string earned their fifth consecutive win.

Boro Reserves boss Martin Scott fielded a strong line-up for the fixture, giving starts to eight players with first team experience under their belts.

In front of watching first team boss Gordon Strachan, Taylor and Chris Riggott both enjoyed full 90-minute run-outs as they continued on their own respective comeback trails following injuries.

And Tony McMahon and Didier Digard did their first team prospects no harm at all with lively 45-minute cameo appearances in the first half.

Highly-rated young trio Jason Steele, Pilatos and Luke Williams made up the 11.

It was teenager Pilatos who gave Boro the lead with just over a quarter of an hour played. A cross from McMahon out on the right found the young midfielder who had the simplest of tasks in slotting past Leigh Overton in the Grimsby goal.

The goal injected confidence into Boro and they began to control the game and dictate the play, the strong defensive rearguard frustrating the Grimsby forwards and reducing them to speculative long-range shots.

The home side doubled their advantage when a Jonathan Franks cross was headed back across goal and Taylor pounced to smash the ball home. Franks himself then saw his low drive tipped around the post by the Grimsby keeper late in the first half.

The visitors reduced the deficit just 15 seconds after the restart. Jean Louis Akpa Akpro caught the Boro defence out as he marched through and slotted home from close range.

But Boro grabbed a third when Taylor found himself out in space on the left and his cross was met by Emnes, who coolly slotted the ball past the onrushing keeper.

And the home side rounded off the win 10 minutes later as a deep cross from Franks found Emnes lurking at the far post and the Dutchman headed down and past the keeper to complete the rout.

Luke Williams almost made it five in the dying stages but, after turning his man on the edge of the area, saw his shot tipped onto the bar.

Martin Scott said: “I thought in the first half we played some good stuff but I just felt the amount of possession we had we should have done a lot better.”